Watercolor is controlled chaos — pigment carried by water, the wet-in-wet bloom, the lifted highlight. A set of artist-grade tube or pan watercolors, good brushes (a round that holds a point and water), a palette with wells, and — most important — 100% cotton watercolor paper (the cheap paper pills and ruins everything). Sketch lightly in pencil; the paint is transparent and the lines show.
Plans
Choose a plan that fits your needs and budget
Item List
4Paper & Palette
2 items
Paint & Brushes
2 itemsPlan Totals$157
Total$157
FAQ
Common questions about this kit
Why 100% cotton paper?
Cheap wood-pulp paper pills (the surface fuzzes) and cannot take a wash or a lift — it ruins watercolor. 100% cotton paper (Arches or equivalent) holds the wash, allows lifting and layering, and is the single biggest factor in watercolor success. Student-grade paper is for practice sketches only; the painting paper is cotton, always.
Why artist-grade paint?
Artist-grade paints have more pigment and less filler than student-grade — richer color, better mixing, and the transparent staining that watercolor rewards. Student-grade paints are chalky and muddy when mixed. A small set (12) of artist-grade beats a large set of student-grade. The paint is where the color lives.
Why a round brush?
A good round (size 8-12) holds water in the belly and comes to a fine point — it makes both broad washes and fine lines, the one brush that does most of a watercolor. Squirrel or sable (or a quality synthetic) holds water; cheap brushes do not. One excellent round beats ten cheap brushes.
How do I lift a highlight?
While the paint is wet (or re-wetted), a clean damp brush or a tissue lifts the pigment back to white — watercolor's signature move, the cloud, the glint, the saved light. Plan the highlights (the white of the paper) before you paint and protect them; once a staining color dries it will not fully lift. The white paper is the light source.
User Reviews
5.0 / 5.0
Watercolor and my indigo share the pigment-and-the-water gospel — the 100-percent-cotton-paper is the cloth-and-the-vat, and the lift-the-highlight is the dip-until-the-blue. Good materials make the medium, agreed.